Chapter 1 Cognitive Class and Education, 1900-1990
Throughout the twentieth century, America opened up its colleges to more people than ever before. This growth in higher education led to a major increase in college degrees, which rose fifteen times from 1900 to 1990. More importantly, schools became better at selecting students with high IQs. The 1950s were crucial, as around 80 percent of top students attended college by the early 1990s.
Elite colleges also changed a lot. More smart students were applying, and these colleges started to identify the very brightest students. For example, Harvard saw a big shift between 1952 and 1960, changing from mostly wealthy East Coast students to a more diverse group of top-performing students from all over the country. Admissions became tougher, and SAT scores increased significantly.
While this spread of education is often celebrated, it also created new divisions among people. Those with higher education often earn more money and have better jobs, which can deepen social class gaps. As college access grew, it led to more separation based on cognitive ability among individuals in society.
The College Population Grows
In the early 1900s, only about 2 percent of 23-year-olds in the U.S. had college degrees, creating a significant social and economic gap between high school and college graduates. This situation began to change after World War I, with a notable increase in college attendance until 1974, although the surge after WWII was partly due to two generations of students attending at once. Between the mid-1950s and 1974, the trend of college degrees rose significantly due to factors like postwar prosperity. However, from 1974 to 1981, there was a strange decline in graduates despite more financial aid. By 1990, college degrees reached 30 percent of 23-year-olds, surpassing previous levels.
Making Good on the Ideal of Opportunity
The rise in college attendance has not made the student body more varied in terms of cognitive abilities. While more young people are earning college degrees today, the selection process has increasingly focused on students' cognitive skills, especially since the 1950s. In the 1920s, only about 15 percent of students with high IQs attended college, but by the early 1960s, this number jumped to over 70 percent. This change is significant but is based mainly on high school graduates, which means the true impact is even larger.
Over the years, the connection between IQ and the chance of going to college became much stronger. By 1960, students with the highest IQs had nearly a 100 percent chance of attending college. In contrast, those with lower cognitive abilities had much lower chances. This pattern continued into the 1980s, showing that students with higher IQs were much more likely to go to college than those with average or below-average scores.
Even though more students were going to college, policies like affirmative action did not change the fact that colleges tended to favor students with high cognitive abilities. As a result, while college attendance increased, the education system has reinforced a division based on cognitive skills, creating a group of students seen as more academically elite.
The Creation of a Cognitive Elite Within the College System
During the twentieth century, more people started going to college in America, which made college degrees more common. However, this change also led to a new group of elite colleges becoming even more exclusive. From the early 1950s to the mid-1960s, universities got better at finding and enrolling the smartest students, which created a bigger gap between elite colleges and other schools.
Before World War II, Ivy League schools had a mix of students with different levels of intelligence. In 1926, data showed that students entering these schools had an average IQ of about 117, which meant they were smarter than most students, but they still included some who were not as bright. Many talented students, especially from less wealthy backgrounds, often did not attend elite colleges, instead going to local or smaller schools.
By 1964, things had changed. The average freshman at colleges in Pennsylvania was smarter than those in 1928, reaching about the 89th percentile, while Ivy League students averaged at the 99th percentile. This means that the best colleges had much smarter students compared to public universities. The shift began in the early 1950s, and several factors helped this trend grow.
One key reason was the rise of television and air travel in the 1950s, which changed how families looked at college choices. Traveling became easier and more affordable, allowing students from other regions to aim for top colleges on the East Coast. At the same time, more families wanted their children to go to prestigious schools, leading to increased competition for limited spaces in these elite colleges.
Despite more students wanting to attend elite colleges, the types of students admitted did not significantly change in terms of wealth. Elite schools saw fewer students from low-income families in the 1960s compared to earlier years. While scholarships became more available, they couldn't keep up with the growing number of applicants who needed financial help. Colleges continued to consider both academic performance and other personal traits when making admissions decisions.
Since the 1960s, the trend of concentrating talented students in elite universities has increased. By the early 1990s, many more high-achieving students were applying to and attending top schools. Data showed that these schools took in a large percentage of students who scored high on standardized tests. For instance, a small number of elite colleges enrolled many of the best-performing students, showing that these schools attracted a significant number of academically gifted students.
Overall, the creation of a cognitive elite within the college system shows how society's views, competition for college spots, and changing student backgrounds have led to a situation where a few top schools draw in most of the most talented students.
How High Are the Partitions?
Cognitive partitioning in education refers to how society groups people based on their level of education, creating different categories of knowledge and ability. While there are divisions, a significant overlap in intelligence exists among people with different educational backgrounds. To understand this better, it is important to know some basic statistics, particularly concepts like distribution and standard deviation. A distribution shows the pattern of scores within a group and often forms a bell-shaped curve called a normal distribution. Standard deviation is a way to compare scores across different tests, helping us see how far a score is from the average.
When looking at educational partitioning, it is interesting to see how the situation has changed from 1930 to 1990. In 1930, only a small percentage of people had college degrees, and there was not much difference in IQ between college graduates and non-graduates. Many bright people did not go to college at that time. By 1990, college enrollment had increased a lot, and the average IQ of college students had also risen, which led to a larger gap between those with degrees and those without. The smartest students in the best colleges showed a big rise in average IQ, while the average intelligence of people without college degrees dropped as many bright students moved to higher education.
Even though many people without degrees still have high IQs that can match those of graduates, the overall situation reflects ongoing separation, where college graduates today tend to have more similar high intelligence levels compared to the past. On the flip side, the group without college degrees today tends to have a narrower range of intelligence. Many bright students who might have occupied lower-skilled jobs now attend college, leaving a less diverse group in terms of intelligence behind.
Thinking about the social circles people have can show how disconnected they might be from the rest of society. For many readers, most of their closest friends are likely college-educated, which would not be the case for the broader American population. The statistics indicate that readers belong to a fortunate group that does not represent the average experience of most Americans.
Statistically, there is only a small overlap between people with high school diplomas and those with bachelor’s or master’s degrees. This overlap becomes even smaller when considering top colleges, highlighting the growing separation in intelligence and education that affects social dynamics. Those attending elite universities often live in very different environments from the general population, influencing their views on society, politics, and ethics.
While it is positive that more people have access to education today, this also creates problems. It can encourage a disconnect between those in elite circles and the rest of society. This lack of connection may make it hard for well-educated individuals to understand the realities of life outside their own experiences, especially as they enter jobs that keep them separated from less educated populations.
Throughout the twentieth century, America opened up its colleges to more people than ever before. This growth in higher education led to a major increase in college degrees, which rose fifteen times from 1900 to 1990. More importantly, schools became better at selecting students with high IQs. The 1950s were crucial, as around 80 percent of top students attended college by the early 1990s.
Elite colleges also changed a lot. More smart students were applying, and these colleges started to identify the very brightest students. For example, Harvard saw a big shift between 1952 and 1960, changing from mostly wealthy East Coast students to a more diverse group of top-performing students from all over the country. Admissions became tougher, and SAT scores increased significantly.
While this spread of education is often celebrated, it also created new divisions among people. Those with higher education often earn more money and have better jobs, which can deepen social class gaps. As college access grew, it led to more separation based on cognitive ability among individuals in society.
The College Population Grows
In the early 1900s, only about 2 percent of 23-year-olds in the U.S. had college degrees, creating a significant social and economic gap between high school and college graduates. This situation began to change after World War I, with a notable increase in college attendance until 1974, although the surge after WWII was partly due to two generations of students attending at once. Between the mid-1950s and 1974, the trend of college degrees rose significantly due to factors like postwar prosperity. However, from 1974 to 1981, there was a strange decline in graduates despite more financial aid. By 1990, college degrees reached 30 percent of 23-year-olds, surpassing previous levels.
Making Good on the Ideal of Opportunity
The rise in college attendance has not made the student body more varied in terms of cognitive abilities. While more young people are earning college degrees today, the selection process has increasingly focused on students' cognitive skills, especially since the 1950s. In the 1920s, only about 15 percent of students with high IQs attended college, but by the early 1960s, this number jumped to over 70 percent. This change is significant but is based mainly on high school graduates, which means the true impact is even larger.
Over the years, the connection between IQ and the chance of going to college became much stronger. By 1960, students with the highest IQs had nearly a 100 percent chance of attending college. In contrast, those with lower cognitive abilities had much lower chances. This pattern continued into the 1980s, showing that students with higher IQs were much more likely to go to college than those with average or below-average scores.
Even though more students were going to college, policies like affirmative action did not change the fact that colleges tended to favor students with high cognitive abilities. As a result, while college attendance increased, the education system has reinforced a division based on cognitive skills, creating a group of students seen as more academically elite.
The Creation of a Cognitive Elite Within the College System
During the twentieth century, more people started going to college in America, which made college degrees more common. However, this change also led to a new group of elite colleges becoming even more exclusive. From the early 1950s to the mid-1960s, universities got better at finding and enrolling the smartest students, which created a bigger gap between elite colleges and other schools.
Before World War II, Ivy League schools had a mix of students with different levels of intelligence. In 1926, data showed that students entering these schools had an average IQ of about 117, which meant they were smarter than most students, but they still included some who were not as bright. Many talented students, especially from less wealthy backgrounds, often did not attend elite colleges, instead going to local or smaller schools.
By 1964, things had changed. The average freshman at colleges in Pennsylvania was smarter than those in 1928, reaching about the 89th percentile, while Ivy League students averaged at the 99th percentile. This means that the best colleges had much smarter students compared to public universities. The shift began in the early 1950s, and several factors helped this trend grow.
One key reason was the rise of television and air travel in the 1950s, which changed how families looked at college choices. Traveling became easier and more affordable, allowing students from other regions to aim for top colleges on the East Coast. At the same time, more families wanted their children to go to prestigious schools, leading to increased competition for limited spaces in these elite colleges.
Despite more students wanting to attend elite colleges, the types of students admitted did not significantly change in terms of wealth. Elite schools saw fewer students from low-income families in the 1960s compared to earlier years. While scholarships became more available, they couldn't keep up with the growing number of applicants who needed financial help. Colleges continued to consider both academic performance and other personal traits when making admissions decisions.
Since the 1960s, the trend of concentrating talented students in elite universities has increased. By the early 1990s, many more high-achieving students were applying to and attending top schools. Data showed that these schools took in a large percentage of students who scored high on standardized tests. For instance, a small number of elite colleges enrolled many of the best-performing students, showing that these schools attracted a significant number of academically gifted students.
Overall, the creation of a cognitive elite within the college system shows how society's views, competition for college spots, and changing student backgrounds have led to a situation where a few top schools draw in most of the most talented students.
How High Are the Partitions?
Cognitive partitioning in education refers to how society groups people based on their level of education, creating different categories of knowledge and ability. While there are divisions, a significant overlap in intelligence exists among people with different educational backgrounds. To understand this better, it is important to know some basic statistics, particularly concepts like distribution and standard deviation. A distribution shows the pattern of scores within a group and often forms a bell-shaped curve called a normal distribution. Standard deviation is a way to compare scores across different tests, helping us see how far a score is from the average.
When looking at educational partitioning, it is interesting to see how the situation has changed from 1930 to 1990. In 1930, only a small percentage of people had college degrees, and there was not much difference in IQ between college graduates and non-graduates. Many bright people did not go to college at that time. By 1990, college enrollment had increased a lot, and the average IQ of college students had also risen, which led to a larger gap between those with degrees and those without. The smartest students in the best colleges showed a big rise in average IQ, while the average intelligence of people without college degrees dropped as many bright students moved to higher education.
Even though many people without degrees still have high IQs that can match those of graduates, the overall situation reflects ongoing separation, where college graduates today tend to have more similar high intelligence levels compared to the past. On the flip side, the group without college degrees today tends to have a narrower range of intelligence. Many bright students who might have occupied lower-skilled jobs now attend college, leaving a less diverse group in terms of intelligence behind.
Thinking about the social circles people have can show how disconnected they might be from the rest of society. For many readers, most of their closest friends are likely college-educated, which would not be the case for the broader American population. The statistics indicate that readers belong to a fortunate group that does not represent the average experience of most Americans.
Statistically, there is only a small overlap between people with high school diplomas and those with bachelor’s or master’s degrees. This overlap becomes even smaller when considering top colleges, highlighting the growing separation in intelligence and education that affects social dynamics. Those attending elite universities often live in very different environments from the general population, influencing their views on society, politics, and ethics.
While it is positive that more people have access to education today, this also creates problems. It can encourage a disconnect between those in elite circles and the rest of society. This lack of connection may make it hard for well-educated individuals to understand the realities of life outside their own experiences, especially as they enter jobs that keep them separated from less educated populations.